Praise Report: Almost exactly a month ago, I prayed for help with my marriage and my frustration with the way my husband was talking to me (read the full post/prayer here). Over the course of the past month, he has started to get more and more disciplined about meditating, and now it’s a major focus of his life. As a result, he is so much gentler and more intentional and loving with me and the kids. This weekend when we talked about our main goals, he said his is to become impeccable with his word, and to pass that on to the kids. He said he wants to be so aware of his words as he speaks to the kids, of how he’s talking and what he’s saying. As he talked, I marveled–there is no way any woman could ever bring about that change in her husband, but look what PRAYER can do!! 🙂

Abba,

You are amazing. Your power is so mysterious, so unfathomable, so unmatchable. Major revolution is effortless to You. You speak to the heart of man and make changes that human effort could never attain. You are faithful and kind and fast-acting. You are generous and thoughtful, and You desire our life success and reconciliation even more than we do. There is nothing You cannot do.

I confess that I’ve been overeating and using food for comfort instead of coming to you, and it shows. Then I get distracted from worshiping You and living full-out for You by the thoughts about my body and feeling unattractive. I’ve allowed food and body image to take the throne in my heart. And I’ve been so neglectful in my calling as a praying wife–my amazing husband has been suffering from unemployment and all the depression that comes with that for so many years now, and I’ve pretty much stopped praying about it. Horrors!! I’m so ashamed now that I think of it, but I give that shame to you.

THANK YOU for bringing this to my attention, and that You have been working behind the scenes the whole time anyway. Thank You that You have the perfect job/work situation/business already lined up for my husband, and that You will bring it to pass when the time is just right. Thank You for how wise he is and for his renewed love for meditation and commitment to becoming a man of pure speech. Thank You for how powerful that will be for our family! Thank You for our friends and community, and for the great times over this past week. Thank You for reminding me of Real Moments, and for our sweet baby and that we still get a little time to enjoy him before he’s a full-out toddler. Thank You for the changes you’re working in my heart towards our adorable daughter, and for the Real Moments there.

Please continue to transform my heart toward her. And please help us all to learn to be pure in speech. Remove the ick from our habitual speech patterns. Teach us to have reverence in our speech and to have a balance of holiness and playfulness. Please give me wisdom and discernment regarding work and to-do’s and which are the truly important. Show me how to be Mary today and sit at your feet until it’s time to rise and do Your work. And please please please give us wisdom and discernment and unity regarding our new income (thank You for welfare and its strange new reality in our lives!) and how best to channel it. Thank You! Thank You that I don’t have to worry about it or try to make us be smart with our money. I can trust you!!!

Abba, You are the Wise One. You are Wisdom. You have the complete perspective on everything. You know and understand how everything fits together and why. You know where this is all headed, and You know our secret motives, the things we don’t admit even to ourselves. You’re also the Sovereign One. Nothing escapes Your notice or Your grasp. You are ultimately in control of everything. Your impeccable wisdom combined with Your all-encompassing sovereignty leave us in a place where no worry is necessary. You know exactly what needs to happen when, and You are able to make it happen. Nothing can stop Your plans, not even our own human weaknesses or disobedience.

I confess that my human weaknesses are many. I fear that Distraction is among the worst of them, while Undisciplined-ness vies closely for that top spot. My heart is ever willing, but my flesh is so ridiculously weak. And while my heart craves the spiritual disciplines that will inevitably bring the flesh into line, my flesh is still the strong one. I’m still losing that battle every day. And I’m still not taking the battle seriously. I confess that I dawdle about Kingdom priorities but slavishly serve the busy-ness and bustle of the world’s priorities. I get sucked right into that vortex of meaninglessness and let the Enemy win time and again.

THANK YOU for this early morning time when You bring this to my awareness. Thank You for Your patience. Thank You for the spiritual disciplines, like special tools the mentor gives the hero in an adventure. Thank You that You are sending into my life even now a spiritual director or mentor who can help keep me accountable, who can keep steering me back toward the light when I drift. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, already in my life doing just that (if only I were aware of it & tuned to hear His voice!!). Thank You that You understand our human weaknesses. Thank You for reminding me of Your infinite wisdom last night at Bible study. Thank You for the creative ideas You’ve given me, and thank You that You will help me bring them to fruition. Thank You for my amazing family and this day to celebrate together–our last day before Ben’s school starts. Thank You for his new school and all the good that it brings with it. Thank You for our new schedule and structure!

Please bless this day with Your favor. May we have deep Real Moments as a family and slow down to really enjoy each other’s presence. Please help me manage my emotions so I can be even and strong tomorrow as I meet Ben’s teacher and drop him off for his first day at school tomorrow. Help me to shift back to excitement every time the tears start to come tomorrow (but give me time in private to cry my eyes out, because I know that’s good for me too!). Please help me sort out financial income avenues so that I can attend not only Art of Money but also B-school, and create something like Stratejoy’s Elevate Mastermind group. I would love to lead a group of ladies through a fun year like that! Also give me wisdom as to my screenplays and career strategies. Thank You!